Operators will shut down the Unit 1 reactor at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick early Saturday (11/11) to repair a leak in the cooling system for the unit's main electrical generator.

The generator is a non-nuclear part of the plant, noted Herbert D. Woodeshick, special assistant to the president for Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., the plant's operator.

"We use gas and water for cooling different parts of the generator. Earlier in the week, we detected a small leak from the gas-cooled part of the system into the water-cooled part of the system. Based on our conservative approach to operating the plant, we decided to shut down Unit 1 and make repairs," Woodeshick said.

The shutdown will be conducted in a gradual, controlled manner to assure safety, he said. PP&L expects the generator repairs to take about a week.

Unit 1 has operated for 188 consecutive days since the end of its last refueling outage in May.

Unit 2 continues to operate at full power. It returned to service Oct. 22 following a planned refueling and maintenance outage.

The Susquehanna plant, located in Luzerne County about five miles north of Berwick, is owned jointly by PP&L and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc.